Local Hero

Oil billionaire Happer sends Mac to a remote Scottish village to secure the property rights for an oil refinery they want to build. Mac teams up with Danny and starts the negotiations, the locals are keen to get their hands on the ‘Silver Dollar’ and can’t believe their luck. However, a local hermit and beach scavenger, Ben Knox, lives in a shack on the crucial beach which he also owns. Happer is more interested in the Northern Lights and Danny in a surreal girl with webbed feet, Marina. Mac is used to a Houston office with fax machines but is forced to negotiate on Bens terms.

STARS: Burt Lancaster, Peter Riegert, Fulton Mackay

111 min | Drama, Comedy | 1983 | Color

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Pure magic...
I have no idea what provoked me to see this film in the theatre lo those many years ago, but I am grateful to the serendipity which has brought this piece of magic into my life. I am constantly amazed that a piece of fiction (and not even a written one) could have such an impact on my heart and soul.

From the edgy humor of Happer's encounters with his analyst (I will always consider this to be Mr. Lancaster's most charming performance in a body of excellent work) to the poignant scene in which (an albeit drunken) Mac confesses his coveting Gordon's life, this film draws me in like no other. Whenever I am asked my favorite film, I answer Local Hero without hesitation - there is never a question of its position on my list.

I must confess, I am surprised there are no other reviews of Local Hero by women. I've always found the lyrical nature of the film to have a distinctly female sensibility. But on the other hand, I don't know any other women beyond myself who have seen it (or recall having seen it). The best recommendation I can make for this film is, when I find the world closing in on me, I watch Local Hero. I smile. I laugh. I even cry a bit. But most importantly, I come away knowing that I might someday find that very possible magic in my life.

Quirky brilliance
Some may be turned off by the apparent disregard of plot. Amazing characters, scenery and music make this a truly brilliant movie. It's a movie that may not be fully appreciated until you've seen it three or four times. Burt Lancaster steals the show in a small role. Peter Riegert is perfectly cast as a lost American who finds a place where he belongs. The memorable scenes are countless: the aurora borealis show, the eccentric beachcomber who offers to sell for a dollar per grain of sand in his hand, the injured rabbit, Riegert proposes to trade places with Gordon, etc., etc., etc. Mark Knofler's music is worth the price of admission alone. Definitely one of my all-time favorites.